Southwestern News

KY3 News | Cara Restelli

News Channel 5 | Nicole Ferguson

The CBS affiliate in Nashville highlighted Southwestern Company as a bright spot in an otherwise bleak job scene. Check out the link and watch the full video.  Read More.

Southwestern Company Blog | Trey Campbell

I had the opportunity to attend the Direct Selling Association’s 2010 Annual Meeting & 100th Anniversary Celebration in San Francisco this past week. At the banquet, the focus was on four companies that have contributed to the direct selling industry in positive ways for over a century.  Read More.

	Southwestern Corporate Blog | Dan Moore
	With the horrific flooding the Middle Tennessee area has experienced this past weekend, Southwestern Company has experienced an increase in concern from student dealers who will attend Sales school next week and their parents. Read More.

 

	Southwestern Corporate Blog | Trey Campbell, APR
	Last night, Southwestern was honored with two Awards of Merit by the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) which recognized the best public relations programs and projects in Middle Tennessee. Read More.

After Southwestern's Great Recruiter's Seminar we sent out a call to SW dealers, alumni and employees to raise funds to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake.  

I am proud to announce that we received donations of $6,381.83.  With Southwestern's $5,000 match, that brings our Red Cross donation total to $11,381.83.  

Thank you to everyone who was able to help with this cause.  It reinforces the lesson many of us learned at Southwestern; you may be amazed at what you can accomplish if you just ask. 

	Direct Selling News | Dan Moore
	In the February 2010 Direct Selling News “Top Desk” column, Southwestern Company President, Dan Moore, addresses a new idea with very old roots. In November of this year, I was listening to an interview on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered program. The interview was with Charles Handy, founder of the London Business School and a management consultant whose work has inspired me for some time.
	Read More.

Each year Southwestern acknowledges the Top 25 campuses in the world by total money that students earned for each campus.  The schools on this list represent the hard work and dedication of the students who attend these colleges and universities.  2009 Top Honors went to the University of Tartu with a combined student profit of $1,069.495. Click here to see where your campus ranked.

At GRS, we announced a donation campaign to help the millions of people affected by the Haitian earthquake. After many inquiries, we have extended the campaign to all Southwestern dealers, alumni, and employees through January 29, 2010.  Donations will be sent through the Red Cross and Southwestern will match the donation total up to $5,000. Click to Donate

	The Southwestern family is saddened by the loss of former bookfield great, District Sales Manager, and Director of Sales Larry Beckham, taken by cancer this past Friday morning in Houston, TX.   Larry was a phenomenal bookman.  One week on the bookfield, he made 180 demonstrations and sold 126 customers. A great recruiter, and with the mentorship of Dr. Jim Samuel and others, he grew a great sales organization.
	Read More.

Morton Times-News | Nick Stroman

The sight of a dozen college students running around in the streets of Morton last Sunday morning searching for clues might have been alarming for some residents. Wal-Mart, the Mueller Drive driving range and various homes throughout the village were stops on the route for the “Amazing Estonian Race.”  It was a way to celebrate a day off and relax for the students who are in Illinois as part of the Southwestern Co. Read More.

	Southwestern Corporate Blog | Trey Campbell, APR
	In the spirit of Southwestern’s door-to-door roots, seven fearless volunteers tackled neighborhood food collecting in an effort to support United Way of Metropolitan Nashville’s latest Day of Action to help the local hungry in the Nashville area.  Read More.

	Northern Virginia Daily | Elizabeth Wilkerson
	Southwestern Company student dealers have always founds ways to motivate themselves and have fun.  Handed down by student managers, “Executive Exercises,” have long been a favorite motivation method of choice.   For decades, local patrons of mom-and-pop diners have looked on in shock or amazement, but always with a smile.  Read More.

	Oh My Stinkin' Heck | Heather L. Sanders
	A truly great post about Southwestern's incredible products and the wonderful students that sell them.  As one of Time Magazine's Top 25 Blogs, it has over 100 comments from SW alumni, SW customers, and a few people that might be a bit nicer to the bookperson next year.  Read More.

	Forbes.com | Joyce Lee
	Southwestern Company is profiled on Forbes.com regarding the #2 ranking in "an extensive survey of businesses that use interns" compiled by CollegeGrad.com.  Be sure to view the Top 10 Slideshow to see the profile on Southwestern.

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Happy Fourth of July!  In honor of those who have helped secure our independence, check out this this 3 minute inspirational movie titled Great Quotes from Great Leaders.  View Video.

Southwestern Company was honored with a national ACE Award at the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrator’s (NACAA) 34th Annual Conference on June 29 in Madison, Wisconsin. The recognition was for Southwestern’s consumer awareness blog, www.southwesterndifference.info.  Read More.

Hickory Daily Record | Richard Gould

Previously, releases from the Better Business Bureau and the Cawtaba County School District warned of door-to-door scams by citing "deceptive door-to-door magazine, educational book sales crews are hitting the pavement and looking to earn a quick buck this summer."  Setting the record straight, the students talk about their experience and how their businesses are far from deceptive and "not a scam at all."  Read More.

	NBC's TODAY Show
	The Southwestern Company will be recognized in a segment on NBC's TODAY Show tomorrow, Thursday June 4th for a donation to organizations that help military families.  Read More

	WSMV - NBC Channel 4 - "Better Nashville" | Jennifer Herron
	Southwestern was a featured segment May 12th on "Better Nashville."  Reporter Jennifer Herron interviews Southwestern President, Dan Moore, as well as student dealers, at Southwestern's Sales School at the War Memorial in downtown Nashville.  View the Video

More honors for Southwestern Company as we were recognized at the Public Relations Society of America – Nashville Chapter’s 23rd Annual Parthenon Awards in several categories.  Southwestern cleaned house with the top award in the following two categories:  1. New Media – Websites     2. New Media – Blogs  Read More.

	The Tennessean
	A slideshow of photos of the Southwestern Company and several of the more famous alumni who have worked in the summer program.   Also included in the slideshow are various photos of Southwestern headquarters on Atrium Way in Nashville and student dealers in training at "Sales School."  View Slideshow.

On Thursday morning, February 26, 2009, one of the greatest pillars in the history of Southwestern, Dortch Oldham, passed away. He was 89 years old.  Dortch grew up on a farm north of Nashville, and heard about selling books from a friend. As he said in an interview here several years ago, "He told me you could make as much as $200. That was during the Depression, and I was on the farm - that was real money to me." Read More.

	Matt Ross, District Sales Manager, has been recognized as the Southwestern Company’s Excellence Award Winner for 2008.  This prestigious company award promotes stiff competition between Southwestern sales managers and leaders from all over the world. The award serves as the “best of the best,” as it ranks five key markers of business success.  Read More.

	Cherokeean Herald
	Tim and Nancy Timmons of Rusk know what its like to be the hospitable host, but roles were reversed when they found themselves being hosted by the Southwestern Company and its Chairman and CEO, Henry Bedford, in Nashville, Tenn.  Read More

It is with great pleasure Southwestern Company announces three new blogs!  They are live and ready for you to take a look at, link to and post comments.  Read More

Join the Southwestern Company group on flickr.  Share your memories of the bookfield by tagging your flickr photos with southwesterncompany.  Check it out at: http: www.flickr.com/groups/southwesterncompany

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	A message from Charlie's Family
	Thank you for your continuous prayers and outpouring of love. They have been a constant source of encouragement and blessings to our family and business during this time.  At 4 pm, October 16, 2008, Charles Edward "Tremendous" Jones triumphantly entered the gates of Heaven.  Read More.

On the occasion of his 89th birthday, The Southwestern company honors Dortch Oldham.  Since 1935, when he began selling Southwestern Bibles door-to-door, to the present day, Dortch Oldham has been a remarkable influence on thoussands of Southwestern employees and hundreds of thousands of students who spent their summer selling Southwestern products.  Read More

	Dan Moore | Southwestern President
	Virtually every one of us could complete this phrase: "You will be the same five years from now as you are today, except for two things: ___________ and ___________." The person who wrote that statement is Charlie E. "Tremendous!" Jones.  Read More

	ABC 27 WHTM | Dennis Owens
	Charlie Tremendous Jones is battling cancer in the same way he has lived the past 81 years.  The motivational speaker has counseled some of the biggest names in politics, religion, and sports since 1950, in addition to thousands of Southwestern Company salesmen.  Read More.

	Univ. of Richmond - The Collegian | Aly McArdle
	Luke Filipos doesn't have your average summer job.  He is involved with direct sales through Southwestern where he and his fellow employees went door-to-door selling educational books. Univ. of Richmond has a direct connection as 1941 graduate Dortch Oldham joined SW in 1935, and then became president.  Read More.

	Nugget Newspaper | Jim Cornelius
	Fred Murumaa has always been an adventurous sort.  So, when a fellow student approached him at the University of Tartu - in the Baltic nation of Estonia - with a proposition to spend a summer working with a company selling sophisticated school workbooks in the United States, he jumped at the chance.  Read More.

	Herald-Citizen | Mary Jo Denton
	The Southwestern Company reassures Putnam County, TN residents that the 3 door-to-door salespeople are college students who are running their own business to offset their educational expenses. Read More.

	The News & Observer | Tim Simmons
	The difficult job market this summer for teens is explored.  Matt Ross and Jenn Jones talk about how Southwestern brings opportunity to students to beat the current job market.  Read More.

	WBIR-Knoxville, TN | Kay Watson
	Knoxville TN NBC affiliate, WBIR, talks to Scott Steffen a Southwestern Company student salesman.  Check out this video where one of Scott's customers clears up a misunderstanding about Scott's sales techniques.  Read More.

	USA TODAY | Del Jones
	The impact of CEO's first jobs is exlpored.  Southwestern alumnus Joe Herring talks about selling books door-to-door with Southwestern in college.  Joe is currently the CEO at Covance.  Read More.

	Centre Daily Times
	Summertime Safety Advice:  stay cool, wear protective clothing, recognize legitimate door-to-door sales people.  Read More.

	WSMV Channel 4 Nashville
	Check out this video featuring Dan Moore, Southwestern Company President, presenting safety tips for dealing with door-to-door salespeople.  View Video.

As the Southwestern dealers hit the bookfield this summer, they will have the opportunity to earn a renovated Success Coin.  Read More.

	Venture Magazine | Libby John
	For 140 years, Southwestern Company has helped cash-strapped college students build character and gain life skills.  The biggest concern most college students have is paying off their debt, which usually includes college loans, credit cards and car payments.  Read More.

Every Southwestern bookperson knows how invaluable it is to come home to a great host family every night on the bookfield.  We greatly appreciate the generosity of all alumni who opened their homes and lives to Southwestern dealers this past summer.  Read More.

 

Great American Opportunities, Inc. has acquired substantially all assets of Kathryn Beich, Inc., one of the best known youth fundraising companies in America.  Read More

In a joint promotion with the National Consumer League (NCL) and the Direct Selling Educational Foundation (DSEF), Southwestern is proud to announce this week as National Consumer Protection Week - focusing on financial literacy.  Read More.

	Direct Selling News | Barbara Seale
	Kermit counsels that it's not easy being green.  But direct sellers have learned that many green measures aren't so hard, either.  They're taking a wide variety of steps to be more environmentally friendly.  Read More.

	Direct Selling News
	A company with widespread reputation of breeding future leaders and weathering changes throughout its 153 years, The Southwestern Company is experiencing a change in longtime leadership.  Read More.

University of Tartu, Estonia Reigns as Southwestern's 2008 #1 Campus Worldwide.  Read More.

  

For a company with a widespread reputation of breeding future leaders and weathering changes throughout its 153 years, The Southwestern Company is experiencing a change in long-time leadership. President, Jerry Heffel has announced his retirement, handing the reigns and appointment to the executive office to Dan Moore.  Read More.

Huge news from the Southwestern Company.  This summer, Theo Davies broke the previous records for "Most Units sold by an International Dealer" and the "Most Units Sold in a Day."  Read More.

	Pickens County Progress | Daniel Cumming
	College students learn and earn by door-to-door book sales. A day in the life of today's  Southwestern bookman.  Sam Ross is chronicled as he puts in his 30 demos in Pickens County, Georgia.  Read More.

Over the past several years, a frequent question asked of me has been, “Tom, when are you going to retire?” During the past six months and actually the last several years, I have given much thought to that question and ... Read More.

After leading Southwestern through more than three decades of its rich history, Jerry Heffel will be retiring as President of the company.  Jerry, as well as Vice Presidents of Sales Fred Prevost and Roy Loftin will pass the reins to the next generation of leaders.  Read More.

	Tennessean.com | Janell Ross
	By year's end, three senior-level executives at Southwestern Co., one of Nashville's oldest companies, will leave their posts to make way for middle-level sales managers who will lead the company's student sales team with fewer layers of corporate oversight. Read More.

	Houston Chronicle | Allan Turner
	It's an awesome day. Shayan Shakiba's '96 Mazda, desperately in need of a front-end alignment, judders down the two-lane at 70 mph. Shakiba's left hand is welded to the wheel, but his eyes, filled with a shrewd intelligence that belies his 23 years, are glued to the notebook on his lap.  Shakiba is a door-to-door salesman.  Read More.

On Thursday, June  21, former Southwestern Sales Manager, Glenn Jackson succumbed to a sudden heart attack.  His first summer selling books was 1960 when, as the top first year salesperson, he broke the then existing company record for a first year salesperson.  Read More.

	Direct Selling News | Judith Dror
	Feature story on the partnership between Southwestern and African Leadership.  See how Southwestern alumni Larry Warren, Eddy Messick and Barrett Ward are helping others make an impact through African Leadership.  Read More.

The purpose of this article is to recognize –and to thank -- Creig Soeder for a career full of achievement, contribution, spirit, humor, work, and results in moving our company closer to its mission of being the best organization in the world at helping young people develop the skills, and the character, they need to achieve their goals in life. Creig is retiring after 35 years with Southwestern.  Read More.

	Direct Selling News | January 2007
	In this month's Academic Forum, Jerry Heffel, President of The Southwestern Company, joins Professors Larry Chonko and Buddy LaForge to talk about the specific challenges of managing today's youth.  Read More.

	Direct Selling News | By Barbara Seale
	In a point-and-click world, one company has thrived for more than 150 years by selling not just person-to-person but door-to-door.  The Southwestern Company is unique for many reasons beyond its age. Its multi-level salesforce is composed of college kids who run their own businesses, selling books in the summer and recruiting other students during the rest of the year.  Read More.

	Direct Selling News | Top Desk with Henry Bedford
	Southwestern CEO Henry Bedford began selling books with Southwestern during his junior year of college, and has climbed the company ladder to become CEO.  A strong believer in Southwestern's sales practices and principles, Bedford enjoys being part of a team effort that has been "Building Character In Young People Since 1868."  Read More

	The Weekly Standard | By Terry Eastland
	Around the first of September I tend to have memories of my days selling books door to door during my college summers. I worked in what was called the Bible division, because the lead book was a family Bible.  Read More.

A note from Jerry Heffel It is with much sadness that I inform you of the recent passing of a very close friend and former coworker, Jerry Kinzer.  Read More.

	The Decatur Daily News | By Paul Huggins
	"Spurning the idea that today's market is best reached via the Internet, Southwestern sellers hold firmly to the old-fashioned door-to-door approach."  Three Southwestern dealers provide insight into what they've learned selling books and why it is worth it.  Read More.

	USA Today | By Kathy Chu
	"On this June day, Fogerty finishes her sales calls at 9:54 pm, nearly 14 hours after she began...She manages to end the day the way it started: with a sale.  Maybe it's her persuasive sales pitch.  Her persistence.  Or maybe it's the infectious smile of a hard-working college student."  Read More.

Southwestern/Great American, Inc., parent company of The Southwestern Company, was recognized by the Nashville Business Journal (NBJ) at the 19th Annual Best in Business Awards on May 17 as the 2006 winner in the largest business category, 101 to 500 employees.  Read More.

Many of you know about Southwestern's Family Bible Library and what a treasure and blessing it has been to countless families across the country for two generations!  Rebecca Hagelin, best selling author, recently reviewed the updated Family Bible Library.  Read More.

This year’s UK Southwestern Alumni Reunion Ball is to be held in the Great Western Suite of the Hilton at London Paddington (right beside the train station) on Saturday 22nd July 2006.  Read More.

Chances are if you sold books in Arizona in the last seventeen years you have experienced the generosity of the Leonard family.  Jim & Bonnie's adventure with Southwestern started 40 years ago, 1965 when Jim was recruited to sell books.  Read More.

Southern Hemisphere Southwestern Summer Sales Effort a Success!  Read More.

Ralph's Mosely retires after 25 years as the Chairman and CEO of Southwestern/Great America.  Check out Ralph's farewell letter and view photos from his celebration.  Read More.

The Bible Division Returns.  Read More.

So, has Southwestern/Great American changed since I sold books?  Read More.

What an incredible event.  Over 700 Southwestern alumni from eight decades of selling traveled to Southwestern's 150th Year Celebration, July 15-16. Read More.

Check out the Photos from Southwestern's 150th Reunion held in July 2005.  Over 700 alumni gathered to celebrate Southwestern’s 150th Anniversary.  Read More.

Forbes | William P Barrett

Four decades of direct selling have given him control of more tha a dozen private companies with total revenues of $600 million and a personal fortune of maybe $400 million.  What makes them so successful is Spencer Hays keen people sense. He knows how to motivate salespeople and teach them to reach out to the customers. A business is a reflection of the skills and attitude of the people in the business, says the bushy-eyebrowed Hays. You cant build a business -- you build people. People build a business.  Read More.

	Sales & Marketing Management | Ginger Trumfio
	Crazy. Unpredictable. Intense. Five days of nonstop information, pure energy, and near-lethal doses of motivation. The Southwestern Company has turned training upside down and called it Sales School And there's no place else like it.  Read More.

Fortune | Jaclyn Fierman

The 140-year-old Southwestern Company, America's oldest extant door-to-door sales company, is another master of sales motivation. Its Nashville boot camp turns its young sales trainees, mostly college kids on summer vacation, into some of the most dogged salespeople in the country.  The company's working alumni have carried their skills to places like IBM, Xerox, Procter & Gamble, and Wall Street and in many cases are leading the sales revolution going on today.  Read More.